Cocaine addiction therapy--are we partially there?

Discovery of CNS-Like D3R-Selective Antagonists Using 3D Pharmacophore Guided Virtual Screening

The dopamine D3 receptor is an important CNS target for the treatment of a variety of neurological diseases. Selective dopamine D3 receptor antagonists modulate the improvement of psychostimulant addiction and relapse. In this study, five and six featured pharmacophore models of D3R antagonists were generated and evaluated with the post-hoc score combining two survival scores of active and inactive. Among the Top 10 models, APRRR215 and AHPRRR104 were chosen based on the coefficient of determination (APRRR215: R²training = 0.80; AHPRRR104: R²training = 0.82) and predictability (APRRR215: Q²test = 0.73, R²predictive = 0.82; AHPRRR104: Q²test = 0.86, R²predictive = 0.74) of their 3D-quantitative structure⁻activity relationship models. Pharmacophore-based virtual screening of a large compound library from eMolecules (>3 million compounds) using two optimal models expedited the search process by a 100-fold speed increase compared to the docking-based screening (HTVS scoring function in Glide) and identified a series of hit compounds having promising novel scaffolds. After the screening, docking scores, as an adjuvant predictor, were added to two fitness scores (from the pharmacophore models) and predicted Ki (from PLSs of the QSAR models) to improve accuracy. Final selection of the most promising hit compounds were also evaluated for CNS-like properties as well as expected D3R antagonism.

Propargylamine as functional moiety in the design of multifunctional drugs for neurodegenerative disorders: MAO inhibition and beyond

Much progress has been made in designing analogues that can potentially confer neuroprotection against debilitating neurodegenerative disorders, yet the multifactorial pathogenesis of this cluster of diseases remains a stumbling block for the successful design of an 'ultimate' drug. However, with the growing popularity of the "one drug, multiple targets" paradigm, many researchers have successfully synthesized and evaluated drug-like molecules incorporating a propargylamine function that shows potential to serve as multifunctional drugs or multitarget-directed ligands. It is the aim of this review to highlight the reported activities of these propargylamine derivatives and their prospect to serve as drug candidates for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders.

Examination of cocaine dose in a preclinical model of natural reward devaluation by cocaine

In a preclinical model of natural reward devaluation by cocaine, taste cues elicit aversive taste reactivity when they predict impending but delayed cocaine self-administration. Here, we investigated this negative affective state as a function of cocaine dose. Male, Sprague-Dawley rats were given 45 brief intraoral infusions of a 0.15% saccharin solution before 2 h cocaine self-administration for 14 days. Rats were video recorded; taste reactivity and patterns of self-administration were quantified on the first and last days. On day 14, a significant decrease in appetitive taste reactivity and increase in aversive taste reactivity was observed (compared with day 1) that did not vary as a function of cocaine dose. In contrast, patterns of cocaine self-administration (i.e. the total number of lever presses and load-up behavior) varied as a function of dose across days. Further, load-up behavior was positively correlated with aversive taste reactivity (i.e. gapes) on day 14 across all doses tested. Collectively, these findings indicate that the emergence of negative affect in this preclinical model is not dependent on cocaine dose.

Design, synthesis, and evaluation of potent and selective ligands for the dopamine 3 (D3) receptor with a novel in vivo behavioral profile

A series of compounds structurally related to pramipexole were designed, synthesized, and evaluated as ligands for the dopamine 3 (D3) receptor. Compound 12 has a K(i) value of 0.41 nM to D3 and a selectivity of >30000- and 800-fold over the D1-like and D2 receptors, respectively. Our in vivo functional assays showed that this compound is a partial agonist at the D3 receptor with no detectable activity at the D2 receptor.

Neurobiology of addiction. An integrative review

Evidence that psychoactive substance use disorders, bulimia nervosa, pathological gambling, and sexual addiction share an underlying biopsychological process is summarized. Definitions are offered for addiction and addictive process, the latter being the proposed designation for the underlying biopsychological process that addictive disorders are hypothesized to share. The addictive process is introduced as an interaction of impairments in three functional systems: motivation-reward, affect regulation, and behavioral inhibition. An integrative review of the literature that addresses the neurobiology of addiction is then presented, organized according to the three functional systems that constitute the addictive process. The review is directed toward identifying candidate neurochemical substrates for the impairments in motivation-reward, affect regulation, and behavioral inhibition that could contribute to an addictive process.

Design of novel hexahydropyrazinoquinolines as potent and selective dopamine D3 receptor ligands with improved solubility

We have recently reported hexahydropyrazinoquinolines as a new class of dopamine 3 (D(3)) receptor ligands with high-affinity to the D(3) receptor and excellent selectivity over the closely related D(1)-like and D(2)-like receptors. However, our previously reported most potent and selective D(3) ligands have poor aqueous solubility, which greatly hinders our in vivo studies aimed at evaluation of their therapeutic potential in animal models. In this study, we wish to report the design, synthesis, and evaluation of a series of new hexahydropyrazinoquinolines as D(3) ligands with improved solubility. Among them, compound 4g has a K(i) value of 9.7 nM for the D(3) receptor and displays a selectivity of >5000 and 466 times over the D(1)-like and D(2)-like receptors, respectively. Importantly, the hydrochloride salt form of compound 4g has a good aqueous solubility (>50 mg/mL) and represents a promising D(3) ligand for further in vivo evaluations of its therapeutic potential for the treatment of drug abuse, restless legs syndrome, schizophrenia, Parkinson's disease, and depression.

Effects of selective dopamine receptor subtype agonists on cardiac contractility and regional haemodynamics in rats

1. Activation of dopamine (DA) receptors produces cardiovascular responses such as vasodilation and hypotension. However, knowledge of the role of specific dopamine receptor subtypes (especially D3 and D4) in the cardiovascular system is limited. The objective of the present study was to characterize the haemodynamic and cardiac responses to agonists with selectivity for D1, D2, D3 and D4 receptor subtypes. 2. Inactin-anaesthetized rats were instrumented to measure regional haemodynamic and cardiac contractility responses with slow intravenous infusion of agonists. 3. Fenoldopam (a D1 receptor agonist) decreased (P < 0.05) renal vascular resistance beginning at a dose of 3 micromol/kg. Infusion of PNU-95666E (a D2 receptor agonist) produced dose-dependent decreases (P < 0.05) in mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and hindquarter vascular resistance (HQVR). Administration of BP897 (a partial D3 receptor agonist) decreased (P < 0.05) MAP and HQVR at 3 micromol/kg. PD168077 (a D4 receptor agonist) caused significant increases in HQVR at 1 micromol/kg. None of the compounds tested elicited significant changes in cardiac contractility. 4. Using selective agonists of dopamine receptor subtypes, the present studies characterize distinct cardiovascular effects in anaesthetized rats. Consistent with its well-defined effects as a D1 receptor agonist, fenoldopam administration resulted in renal vasodilation. Similar to earlier studies using the non-selective D2-like receptor agonist quinpirole, selective agonism at the D2 receptor using PNU-95666E resulted in bradycardia, hindquarter vasodilation and decreases in arterial pressure. Partial agonism at the D3 receptor with BP897 had no effect on heart rate, but did produce depressor responses driven by decreases in HQVR. Conversely, agonism of the D4 receptor using PD168077 resulted in modest hindquarter vasoconstriction that was not dose dependent. Hence, by comparison, agonism of the D4 receptor has little effect in the cardiovascular system of the rat relative to the other dopamine receptor subtype agonists tested.

Effects of dopamine indirect agonists and selective D1-like and D2-like agonists and antagonists on cocaine self-administration and food maintained responding in rats

A procedure is described for comprehensive evaluation of the effects of acute drug pretreatments on the reinforcing effects of cocaine using the rat self-administration assay in combination with a novel control assay of liquid-food maintained responding. In sessions comprised of five 20-min components, either complete dose-effect functions for cocaine self-administration or complete concentration-effect functions for liquid-food maintained responding were evaluated. The schedule of reinforcement (FR 5 TO 20-s), drug pretreatment doses and time intervals (0-30 min), and duration of sessions (108 min) were identical for cocaine- and food-reinforced test sessions. Whereas acute pretreatment with indirect dopamine agonists (D-amphetamine, GBR 12909) and D2-like agonists (7-OH-DPAT, quinelorane) produced dose-dependent leftward shifts in dose-effect functions for cocaine self-administration, D1-like agonists (SKF 82958, R-6-Br-APB) and dopamine antagonists (D1-like, SCH 39166; D2-like, eticlopride) shifted dose-effect functions for cocaine downward and rightward, respectively. Interestingly, with the indirect dopamine agonists but not the D2-like agonists, increased responding maintained by low cocaine doses was paralleled by increased responding maintained by low food concentrations. Moreover, three of the four direct agonists were moderately selective (< or =5-fold more potent) in decreasing cocaine self-administration relative to food maintained responding. When data were analyzed according to alterations in total cocaine intake, all of the agonists uniformly decreased total cocaine intake, whereas both antagonists increased total cocaine intake. Overall, this procedure was sensitive to leftward, downward and rightward shifts in cocaine dose-effect functions and should be useful for evaluating the nature of pharmacological interactions between novel compounds and self-administered cocaine, as well as the potential for altering cocaine self-administration selectively with candidate treatments for cocaine abuse and dependence.

Sigma(1) (sigma(1)) receptor antagonists represent a new strategy against cocaine addiction and toxicity

Cocaine is a highly addictive substance abused worldwide. Its mechanism of action involves initially inhibition of neuronal monoamine transporters in precise brain structures and primarily the dopamine reuptake system located on mesolimbic neurons. Cocaine rapidly increases the dopaminergic neurotransmission and triggers adaptive changes in numerous neuronal circuits underlying reinforcement, reward, sensitization and the high addictive potential of cocaine. Current therapeutic strategies focus on counteracting the cocaine effects directly on the dopamine transporter, through post-synaptic D(1), D(2) or D(3) receptors or through the glutamatergic, serotoninergic, opioid or corticotropin-releasing hormone systems. However, cocaine administration also results in the activation of numerous particular targets. Among them, the sigma(1) (sigma(1)) receptor is involved in several acute or chronic effects of cocaine. The present review will first bring concise overviews of the present strategies followed to alleviate cocaine addiction and animal models developed to analyze the pharmacology of cocaine addiction. Evidence involving activation of the sigma(1) receptor in the different aspects of cocaine abuse, will then be detailed, following acute, repeated, or overdose administration. The therapeutic potentials and neuropharmacological perspectives opened by the use of selective sigma(1) receptor antagonists in cocaine addiction will finally be discussed.

The D3R partial agonist, BP 897, attenuates the discriminative stimulus effects of cocaine and D-amphetamine and is not self-administered

Growing attention has been directed towards the potential involvement of the dopamine D3 receptor (D3R) in modulating effects of psychomotor stimulants. BP 897 (N-[4-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]butyl]-2-naphthylcarboxamide; aka BP 4.897 and DO897) is amongst the most selective partial agonists for the D3R receptor thus far reported. BP 897 was tested for its ability to support self-administration in rhesus monkeys (0.3-30 microg/kg) and for its ability to produce cocaine- and D-amphetamine-like discriminative stimulus effects in mice (0.01-17 mg/kg i.p.). BP 897 was not self-administered above vehicle and saline levels in any of the four monkeys tested, and produced less than 30% generalization from either the cocaine or D-amphetamine stimulus. When BP 897 was administered before administrations of cocaine or D-amphetamine, percent drug-lever selections were reduced. These results suggest that BP 897 has a profile of activity suitable for consideration as a potential treatment for cocaine dependency disorders.